Electronic toothbrush incorporating digital training aid

ABSTRACT

An electric toothbrush and method of use for improving the oral health habits of a child. The toothbrush incorporates a digital training aid that includes a display screen and microprocessor which generates pictorial images on the screen. The microprocessor is programmed to record the actual frequency and duration of brushing over at least a twenty four hour period and to compare the actual figures with pre-programmed desired runtimes and frequencies. The microprocessor changes the images displayed on the screen to reflect the relationship between the actual times and desired times. The microprocessor includes gaming programs that are only accessible should the minimum desired frequency and time of brushing be met.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention generally relates to toothbrushes. More particularly, theinvention relates to a child's toothbrush. Specifically, the inventionrelates to a toothbrush incorporating a digital training aid in thehandle that aids in motivating a child to increase their brushing timeand assists a parent in monitoring their child's brushing habits.

2. Background Information

Parents frequently experience problems with children who are reluctantnot only to brush their teeth, but also to brush their teeth for asufficient length of time. The American Dental Association (hereinafterADA) recommends that everyone should brush their teeth twice a day fortwo minutes each time. Statistics show that even adults average onlyforty five seconds of brushing and the average time period childrenspend on brushing their teeth is even lower. Many parents are aware thattheir children do not brush their teeth for a sufficiently long time butit is difficult for parents to monitor every brushing as it is timeconsuming and may tend to create anxiety for the child and potentialbattle grounds between parents and the child. Various devices andmethodologies have been utilized in the prior art in an attempt toaddress this issue and to encourage children to continue brushing longerthan they would normally choose. One such methodology has included theprovision of specially designed tablets that, when dissolved in themouth, produce a color in all regions of the teeth where plaque remains.The tablets provide the child with an easily detected visual aid thatclearly shows that they need to continue brushing until all of the coloron the teeth is removed.

Additionally, a wide variety of toothbrushes have been provided in theart that include mechanisms for advising the user how long they haveactually been brushing their teeth. This is why so many poweredtoothbrushes have timers that are set for a two minute interval. Oncebrushing commences, the timer is activated and when the two minuteinterval is over the brush emits some sort of signal. For example, asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,303 to Dewan, when the pre-set lengthof time is over, the toothbrush emits an audible sound or a visualsignal, such as a flashing light. It should be noted, however, thatthere is no mechanism within Dewan's toothbrush of determining andtracking if the brush was only used for part of the pre-set length oftime. Nor is there a mechanism of tracking if the toothbrush ishabitually only used for a portion of each pre-set length of time over alonger time period such as one or two days.

Another toothbrush disclosed in the prior art is the brush shown in PCTpublication No. WO 2006/065159 to Jeziorowski. This brush includessensors under the bristles that are linked to a timer for recording theactual time the bristles are in contact with the teeth during brushing.Every time the bristles are lifted out of contact with the teeth, thetimer stops and when contact is resumed, the timer restarts. After apre-set period of time has elapsed, such as three minutes, an audiblesound is emitted by the brush. The time elapsed is displayed in numbersand bars on a digital display in the handle. The brush also accumulatesa record of the total time the bristles have been in use and indicateswhen the bristles have ended their useful life by displaying anindicator on the handle or by making a distinctive sound.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,087 to Strub is directed to a toothbrush thatincludes a processor which tracks a long period of time, such as a sixmonth period, and then emits a signal to advise the user that it is timeto visit the dentist. The signal may take the form of an audible soundor a flashing light that is emitted by the brush each time it is usedafter the six month period has elapsed.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,726 to Leite discloses a toothbrush that includes adisplay screen which displays a time period in numbers. The numberscount down a pre-determined time period. When the numbers reach zero,the toothbrush emits an audible sound or vibrates to signal to the userthat the time period for brushing teeth has ended.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,522 to Kumagai discloses a toothbrush that generatessounds in response to the movement made by the toothbrush duringbrushing. The brush also includes a counter that records the number ofmovements made during brushing. The counter is linked to the soundgenerating components so that a variety of sounds or messages areemitted from the brush to encourage the user to continue brushing theirteeth. The messages change as the count number goes up.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,881 to Klinger et al discloses a toothbrush thatincludes a timer for tracking time, pressure sensors for trackingpressure applied during brushing and a positioning sensor for trackingthe orientation of the brush during brushing. The brush further includesa processor for computing all of this information and giving a visualindication on a screen as to the effectiveness of the user's brushingaction.

Finally, U.S. Publication No. 2002/0133308 to Lundell et al, discloses atoothbrush that includes an electric toothbrush and a separate controlunit having a microprocessor that collects and stores data relating toactual brushing times and the condition of the toothbrush battery. Thecontrol unit may include a display screen to show the status of thetoothbrush.

While all of these devices and methodologies work to varying degrees,they are not necessarily fun experiences for a child who just wants thebrushing tedium to be over.

There is therefore a need in the art for an improved device and methodto encourage younger children to continue brushing for a set period oftime and to improve their oral care by incorporating other oral healthtools and devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device of the present invention comprises an electric toothbrush andmethod of use for aiding in improving the oral health habits of a child.The toothbrush incorporates a digital training aid that includes adisplay screen and microprocessor which generates pictorial images onthe screen. The microprocessor is programmed to record the actualfrequency and duration of brushing over at least a twenty four hourperiod and to compare the actual figures with pre-programmed desiredruntimes and frequencies. The microprocessor changes the imagesdisplayed on the screen to reflect the relationship between the actualtimes and desired times. If certain brushing habits and other oral carecriteria are met, a gaming function in the microprocessor is activated.The toothbrush therefore gives the child a sense of play that enablesthem to persist with what is normally a fairly onerous task for a child,and rewards the child for being consistent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best modein which applicant has contemplated applying the principles, is setforth in the following description and is shown in the drawings and isparticularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appendedclaims.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a toothbrush in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a partial block diagram illustrated the circuitry containedwithin the toothbrush of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the display of the electronic pet providedon the front of the toothbrush and showing the virtual pet in an initialmode prior to the child starting to brush their teeth;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the display showing the second stage ofthe virtual pet once a first time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the display showing the third stage of thevirtual pet once a second time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the display showing the fourth stage ofthe virtual pet once a third time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the display showing the fifth stage of thevirtual pet once a fourth time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the display showing the sixth stage of thevirtual pet once a fifth time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the display showing the seventh stage ofthe virtual pet once a sixth time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the display showing the eighth stage ofthe virtual pet once a seventh time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the display showing the ninth stage ofthe virtual pet once a eighth time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the display showing the tenth stage ofthe virtual pet once a ninth time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the display showing the second stage ofthe virtual pet once a tenth time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 14, is an enlarged view of the display showing the twelfth stage ofthe virtual pet once an eleventh time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the display showing the final stage ofthe virtual pet once a twelfth time period of brushing has elapsed;

FIG. 16 is a front view of the toothbrush of FIG. 1 shown incorporatedinto packaging for retail sales; and

FIG. 17 is a rear view of the packaged toothbrush of FIG. 16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a toothbrush in accordance with thepresent invention and generally indicated at 10. Toothbrush 10 is apowered toothbrush that has a plurality of movable bristles 12 on a head14 at one end of a neck 16. The neck 16 is connected to a handle 18 thatretains a power supply 20 (FIG. 3) therein. Toothbrush 10 preferably isof a type in which bristles 12 are caused to move by said power supply20. So, for example, bristles 12 may be rotated, or may be reciprocated(not illustrated) back and forth in an orientation generally parallel toa longitudinal axis “Y” of toothbrush 10. Toothbrush 10 is provided withactivator buttons 22 to start and stop the motion of bristles 12.

In accordance with a specific feature of the present invention,toothbrush 10 includes a digital training aid 24 that is incorporatedinto handle 18 and is provided as a means for motivating a child to takebetter care of their teeth. More specifically, digital training aid 24is provided to aid in increasing the length of time that the childbrushes their teeth and to encourage them to use other oral careproducts, such as floss and mouthwash to improve their oral health.Training aid 24 includes a display screen 26, a microprocessor 34 (FIG.2) and one or more play buttons 30 to activate microprocessor 34.Training aid 24 preferably is of a type similar to that sold under thetrademark Tamagotchi by Kabushiki Kaisha Bandai of Tokyo, Japan. Thesedigital toys include a small microprocessor and a monochrome displayscreen with three or four play buttons. The display screen shows animage of a virtual pet. The toys also include an internal clock andrequire the user depress the play buttons to input various tasks atvarious times to keep the pet displayed on the screen healthy and happy.The display will indicate that it is time to feed, brush or pat thevirtual pet and the user will select an appropriate tool or item on thedisplay screen to accomplish this task. So, for example, if displayindicates that it is time to feed the pet, the user will push theappropriate button to select a food bowl displayed on the screen. Ifthis action is taken in an allotted time, the pet remains healthy andhappy. If the action is not taken in the allotted time, the pet's healthand happiness deteriorates. These digital toys include a health andhappiness meter on the screen to show the status of the pet. Only if allthe required actions are taken in a timely fashion does the pet remainhealthy and happy and only then can the user play a plurality of fungames available on the microprocessor. Children learn to check and carefor their digital pet so that they can keep it happy and so that theycan play the games available in the device.

The toothbrush 10 of the present invention incorporates this type ofdigital toy, but instead of images relating to virtual pets and the carethereof, microprocessor 34 includes programming that generates images 28that relate to teeth and to oral health. Images 28 preferably are of apictorial nature and represent objects such as a smile 28 a with teethA-H, a toothbrush 28 b, a mouthwash container 28 c, and a dental flosscontainer 28 d. Images 28 preferably are substantially free of lettersand numbers as they are designed to be easily understood andinterpreted, even by children that are unable to read or to identifynumbers. It will be understood, however, that numbers and letters may bedisplayed on screen 26 in addition to images 28. Pictorial images 28 a,28 b, 28 c and 28 d displayed on display screen 26 are by way of exampleonly. Any graphic image that would be appealing to a child and thatrepresents some type of oral care product or relates to the teeth ormouth could be used without departing from the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the major components of toothbrush 10 and includes possibleelectrical circuit 32 to link those components to each other and to apower supply 20. In the system illustrated, a pair of batteries is usedas power supply 20. A first section 32 a of circuit 32 links a terminal20 a on one of the batteries to microprocessor 34 for the digitaltraining aid 24. A second section 32 b of circuit 32 links terminal 20 ato a first contact 36 a on a motor 36. A third section 32 c of circuit32 links a terminal 20 b on the other of the batteries to microprocessor34. Terminal 20 b on the other of the batteries is also linked to aterminal 22 a on the on-off switch 22 by a fourth section 32 d ofcircuit 32. A fifth section 32 e of circuit 32 links a second terminal22 b on the on-off switch 22 to a second contact 36 b on motor 36. Afeedback section 32 f of circuit 32 extends between second contact 36 band microprocessor 34. It will be seen that motor 36 and microprocessor34 are connected into circuit 32 in parallel. Additionally, motor 36,switch 22 and microprocessor 34 are connected in series. Microprocessor34 includes a clock (not shown). When the batteries are placed intoothbrush 10, the clock is always on, but display screen 26 is blank.Touching any of buttons 30 or the on/off controls of switch 22 turnsdisplay screen 26 on. Play buttons 30 a, 30 b and 30 c are directlywired to microprocessor 34. Each button 30 is associated with one of theimages that appear above line 42. So, for example, button 30 a isassociated with toothbrush 28 b, button 30 b is associated withmouthwash container 28 c and button 30 c is associated with flosscontainer 28 d. Buttons 30 a-30 c are used to input data intomicroprocessor and to play games stored therein.

Microprocessor 34 is the brains of digital training aid 24 and isprogrammed to accumulate data, process the same and cause the display ofimages 28 on display screen 26. Microprocessor 34 is programmed to senseand track the cumulative amount of actual brushing time as measured bythe actual run-time of motor 36. It is also programmed to record thefrequency of the operation of motor 36. Specifically, microprocessor 34is programmed to track frequency and actual run-time of motor 36 for aperiod of at least twenty four hours and to display images 28 inaccordance with data gathered and processed over that time period.Furthermore, the programming is designed to compare the frequency andactual run-time data with a pre-set desired frequency and run-time formotor 36. Microprocessor 34 also tracks and records input from buttons30 b and 30 c which are depressed each time the child has used otheroral care products, specifically mouthwash and dental floss, in thetwenty four hour period. Still other programming in microprocessor 34relates to games that are available as a reward to the child for meetingthe pre-set brushing and oral care goals.

The ADA has recommended that teeth be brushed a minimum of two times aday for a minimum of two minutes each time. This frequency and timeperiod are programmed into microprocessor 34 as the pre-set desiredfrequency and run-time for motor 36. Microprocessor 34 compares theactual period of brushing time with this desired, and pre-programmed,time and generates smile 28 a according to the relationship betweenthese two times.

When toothbrush 10 is to be used, the on-button 22 b of switch 22 isdepressed, closing circuit 32. Motor 36 is actuated and causes motion ina drive shaft 38 that extends outwardly therefrom. Drive shaft 38, inturn, produces motion in bristles 12. When off-button 22 a is engagedand on-button 22 b is therefore disengaged, motor 36 ceases to run.Microprocessor 34 is linked, via feedback circuit 32 f with on-button 22b and, consequently, engagement of on-button 22 b causes circuit 32 f tobe closed and microprocessor 34 to be actuated to begin gatheringinformation about the length of time motor 36 runs. Disengagement ofon-button 22 b breaks circuit 32 f and microprocessor 34 records thecessation of motor 36. Microprocessor 34 therefore gathers informationabout the actual run-time of motor 36 between the time of engagement ofon-button 22 b and the disengagement thereof. Microprocessor 34 gathersthis information each time toothbrush 10 is used in a time period of atleast twenty-four hours. The frequency of use of toothbrush for brushingis also recorded. Microprocessor 34 is programmed to compare thisgathered information with the pre-programmed desired frequency andrun-time of motor 36. Images 28 are generated in response to thecomparison of actual frequency and actual run-time with desiredfrequency and desired run-time as will be hereinafter described.

Referring to FIG. 3, image 28 on display screen 26 includes smile 28 ashowing eight “teeth” numbered A through H. Each tooth comprises ablock-type representation having a darker border region 38 and a lighterinterior region 40. Image 28 further includes a second image being apictorial representation of a toothbrush 28 b. Image 28 further includesa third image being a pictorial representation of a mouthwash container28 c and a fourth image being a pictorial representation of a dentalfloss container 28 d with a length of floss extending outwardly awaytherefrom. A line 42 extends across display screen and separates smile28 a from the three spaced-apart images of toothbrush 28 b, mouthwashcontainer 28 c and a floss container 28 d. The overall impression ofimage 28 is that of a face with the eyes being image 28 b and 28 d, thenose being image 28 c and the mouth being image 28 a. It will beunderstood that the image 28 shown in FIG. 3 is by way of illustrationonly and the designs and arrangement of the images 28 b-28 d can bealtered, and that smile 28 a can have any number of “teeth” desired,without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Smile 28 a acts as a meter for displaying the length of time the teethwere actually brushed relative to the desired period of time they shouldhave been brushed. In FIG. 3, smile 28 a includes all of teeth A-H andthis is the image that is displayed on display screen 26 when toothbrush10 is first used. The images of toothbrush 28 b, mouthwash container 28c and dental floss container 28 d are representative images that areindividually selected by the child when they have physically used theassociated product in their own dental care routine. The child selectsthe relevant image by depressing the associated play button 30 a-30 c.Images 28 b, 28 c and 28 d are always displayed on display screen 26.

FIGS. 3 to 15 show a plurality of enlarged display screens 26 toillustrate how image 28 changes in response to microprocessor 34processing the actual brushing time, brushing frequency and additionaloral care information that is input. Smile image 28 a is programmed inreal time as microprocessor 34 is linked to the on-button 22 b of switch22 that activates and deactivates motor 36. When the child engagesswitch 22 to start motor 36 and thereby move bristles 12, themicroprocessor 34 records exactly when the motor was activated and forhow long the motor 36 runs. The microprocessor 34 will track thisinformation for a pre-set period of time being at least twenty fourhours, and will provide a visual “report card” of that brushing period.By regular brushing alone, the smile image 28 a can be maintained withall of its teeth intact, i.e., image 28 a can look like that shown inFIG. 3, provided the actual run-time and frequency over the pre-set timeperiod of twenty-four to forty-either hours meets or exceeds the desiredrun-time and frequency programmed into microprocessor 34. A parent cansimply touch any button on the toothbrush 10 to activate display screen26 and view smile 28 a to see the exact status of the child's brushinghabits over that twenty-four to forty eight hours. Brushing less thantwice a day and less than two minutes a time will cause the smile 28 ato change by having “teeth” fall out of smile 28 a as will behereinafter described with reference to FIGS. 8-15. It is therefore easyfor a parent to see if their child is not brushing teeth for asufficient period of time.

FIG. 4 shows changes in display screen 26 when motor 36 is activated byclosing switch 22. The child may depress play button 28 b when theyintend to start brushing their teeth. This is not essential as simpleactivation of motor 36 transmits a signal via the feedback circuit 32 fto microprocessor 34. When motor 36 is activated, microprocessor 34causes an additional image to appear on display screen 26. Thisadditional image is one of a manual toothbrush 48 that appears belowline 42 and proximate smile 28a. Manual toothbrush 48 moves back andforth with respect to teeth A-H as indicated on FIG. 4 and for as longas motor 36 is operational. Manual toothbrush 48 thereby simulates thebrushing of the teeth A-H. When switch 22 is moved to the open position,the feedback circuit 32 f is broken and microprocessor 34 causes theimage of manual toothbrush 48 to disappear from display screen 26.

FIG. 5 shows display screen 26 when the play button 30 b associated withmouthwash container 28 c is depressed and released. Button 30 b isdepressed by the child when they have physically used mouthwash in thatday's oral care. In response to button 30 b being pushed, microprocessorcauses a new image of a mouthwash container 50 and cap 52 to bedisplayed beneath line 42 and proximate the teeth A-H of smile 28 a.

Mouthwash container 50 is oriented on its side and cap 52 pops off thecontainer 50 and moves back and forth as indicated. Cap 52 moves for afew seconds and then the images of both of mouthwash container 50 andcap 52 disappear from display screen 26.

FIG. 6 shows display screen 26 when the play button 30 c associated withdental floss 28 d is pushed. The child will push play button 30 c whenthey have physically used dental floss as part of their teeth cleaningregimen, The depression of button 30 c causes microprocessor 34 togenerate an new image of a dental floss container 54 and a length offloss 56 beneath smile 28 a. Floss container 54 is disposed adjacenttooth A and floss 56 extends outwardly therefrom and moves back andforth as indicated in FIG. 6. This back and forth motion gives theillusion of the floss being pulled out of floss container 54 and thenbeing drawn back into the same. The back and forth motion continues fora few seconds and then the floss container 54 and floss 56 disappearfrom the screen.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of display screen 26 if the child hasfaithfully followed a recommended dental care regimen over a set periodof time such as twenty four hours or forty eight hours. So, for example,if the child has, for a forty-eight hour period, faithfully brushedtheir teeth twice a day for at least two minutes each time and has usedat least one of dental floss and mouthwash over that two day period, themicroprocessor will cause the visual display on screen 26 to change toan enhanced image such as the big smile 60 shown in this figure. Bigsmile 60 is formed by the addition of a bottom lip 58 to smile 28 a.When this big smile 60 is displayed on display screen 26 the gamingfunction in the microprocessor is activated and the child can play thefun games that are programmed into the microprocessor 34. Games areaccessed and played using play buttons 30 a, 30 b, and 30 c. If bigsmile 60 is not displayed on display screen 26, then none of the fungames are accessible. Big smile 60 only lasts for a twenty four hourperiod and then the bottom lip 58 disappears, leaving smile image 28 aon display screen 26. Each day microprocessor resets to the standardsmile 28 a (FIG. 3) and thus requires all the teeth A-H to be presentplus the use of the digital oral care tools in order for the child to beable to play any games on that day.

FIGS. 8 to 15 show a progressive display of the loss of “teeth” fromsmile 28 a if the required cumulative minimum frequency and/or time ofbrushing is not reached by the child over a set time period, such astwenty four hours. If the minimum brushing frequency and length of timegoal is not met, at least one of the teeth A drops out of smile 28 a andfalls down to the bottom of display screen 26. So, for example, FIG. 8shows the display screen when the child has only met around 87.5% of theADA's frequency and brushing time recommendation. Tooth “B” has droppedout of smile 28 a and moved to the bottom of display screen 26 asblacked tooth B′. When tooth “B’ drops out of smile 28 a, the region ofthe smile 28 a where tooth “B” was formally located, i.e., region 62, isdarkened.

Similarly, FIG. 9 shows the display screen 26 when yet another “tooth”,being tooth “F” has dropped out of smile 28 a because the recommendedfrequency and/or brushing time has not been met and the amount of actualrun-time was less than in the instance of FIG. 8. So, for example, ifthe child only met around 75% of the ADA recommended frequency andbrushing times, two teeth will drop out of the smile. This leaves twoblackened areas 60 and 62 on smile 28 a and two teeth B′ and F′ at thebottom of display screen 26. If the child improves their oral habitsover the next twenty four hours and increases the frequency and lengthof brushing, one of teeth B′ or F′ will move back into smile 28 a. Asecond day of good oral care where the minimum frequency and length ofbrushing goals are met will return the other of the teeth B′ and F′ backinto smile 28 a.

FIG. 10 shows the display screen 26 when yet another “tooth”, beingtooth “D”, has dropped out of smile 28 a because the recommendedfrequency and/or brushing time has not been met and the amount of actualrun-time was less than in the instance of FIG. 9. So, for example, ifthe child only met around 62.5% of the ADA recommended frequency andbrushing times, three teeth will drop out of the smile. This leavesthree blackened areas 60, 62 and 64 on smile 28 a and three teeth B′,D′, and F′ at bottom of display screen 26.

FIGS. 11 through 15 show the display screen 26 when the remaining teethare progressively lost through failure to brush for the recommendedfrequency and/or length of time. Ultimately, as shown in FIG. 15, noteeth A-F are left in smile 28 a and smile 28 a is one large blackenedor darkened region. All of the teeth have dropped out of smile 28 a andare situated beneath smile 28 a as teeth A′, B′, C′, D′, E′, F′, G′ andH′. The means that the child has essentially has not brushed their teethat all that day.

It will be understood that instead of the microprocessor resetting smile28 a every twenty four hours, microprocessor 34 could be programmed totrack oral care over a period of a week for example. At a touch of anybutton on toothbrush 10, a parent could determine the oral habits oftheir child over that time period. If the child is regularly not meetingthe minimum daily recommendations for brushing, the teeth A-H could beprogressively lost over that week long time period. The overall image ofthe blackened smile 28 a with all of the teeth dropped out therefrom isan image that is clear enough for even a fairly young child tounderstand that they have not been brushing their teeth properly. Theoverall image is also a clear indication to a parent that moresupervision of their child's oral care needs to be undertaken.Similarly, if over a week long period the child's brushing habitsimprove and the microprocessor causes the reincorporation of previouslylost teeth A-H into the smile 28 a, then the child will easily see thatimproved habits bring about improved results.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show an example of how the toothbrush 10 in accordancewith the present invention could be packaged within a blister package70. Package 70 includes an aperture 72 which will allow it to be hung ona display rod in a store. Package 70 also includes a second aperture 74that is complementary located and sized to allow a potential consumeraccess to one of the play buttons, such as 30 b. The potential consumeris able to depress play button 30 b to play a portion of a gameprogrammed into training aid 24. The game will be displayed on displayscreen 26 that is visible through the packaging. Packaging may alsoinclude product information that will advise parents as to thesignificance of the loss of the teeth A-H from smile 28 a and how tomonitor and encourage their child to improve their oral care habits. Asshown in FIG. 17, a chart 80 or other explanatory text or illustrationsmay be placed on either the rear surface of toothbrush 10 or on package70. For instance, chart 80 could indicate that one tooth missing fromsmile 28 a indicates that the child has only met around 87.5% of the ADArecommendations. Two teeth missing represent 25% less than the ADAminimums and so on.

As mentioned previously, the goal of toothbrush 10 is to aid inmotivating a child to increase the length of time they brush their teethand to use additional dental tools and products to take care of theirteeth. The picture type nature of images 28 makes it easy for even ayoung child to see whether their brushing habits are adequate orinadequate. The visual image of the loss of teeth when bad habits arefollowed will easily show the child they need to improve their brushing.The visual image of the maintenance of a full smile 28 a or the displayof the big smile 60 will encourage the child to keep up their brushing.The access to the fun games programmed into the device, will furtherserve to encourage the child to continue to brush their teeth properlyand to use other oral care products. The presence of digital trainingaid 24 also enables a parent to monitor, verify and encourage regularbrushing by providing a reliable indicator of their child's actualbrushing habits over a more protracted period of time.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that other featuresmay be incorporated into toothbrush 10. Such features could includepressure or motion sensors installed adjacent bristles 12 and areoperationally linked to microprocessor 34. Such sensors could beinstalled to substantially prevent a child from simply switching themotor 36 on to save their digital teeth A-H without actually physicallybrushing their teeth. The sensors would substantially preventmicroprocessor 34 from recording an actual run-time of the motor in suchinstances. Microprocessor 34 could be programed to not save the teethA-H unless pressure has been applied to the bristles 12 through thebrushing motion. Yet other additional features may include a count-downtimer that will enable the user to see how much time to continuebrushing in a pre-determined two minute time period, as well as theprovision of a mechanism for generating a sound when a two minute timeperiod has elapsed.

The oral care tools 28 b-28 c expose the young users to more adult oralcare products and help them to associate a regime such as flossing,toothpicks and mouthwash as part of regular oral care. Preferably all ofthe fun games programmed into the microprocessor 34 will have oral carebased themes or use oral care products as components of the game.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is anexample and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown ordescribed.

1. An electric toothbrush comprising: a body having a front, a back anda head at one end; a plurality of bristles on the head which extendoutwardly from the front; a powered motor retained within an interior ofthe body, said motor being operationally connected to said bristles tocause movement of the same when the motor is activated; a display screencarried by the body; a microprocessor operationally linked to the motorand to the display screen; wherein said microprocessor includesprogramming to track actual runtime of the motor and to indicate anamount of actual runtime over a pre-set time period of at least twentyfour hours by generating an image on said display screen.
 2. Theelectric toothbrush as defined in claim 1, wherein the microprocessorincludes programming to generate an image that comprises a first imagein a pictorial format, wherein said first image is substantially free ofletters and numbers.
 3. The electric toothbrush as defined in claim 1,further including: a power source retained within the body; anelectrical circuit, wherein the microprocessor and motor are connectedto the power source in parallel; a switch provided in the circuitbetween the power source and the motor, said switch being movablebetween a closed position where the motor is operational, and an openposition where the motor is non-operational; and a feedback circuitconnecting the motor, the switch and the microprocessor; wherein thefeedback circuit is closed when the switch is in the closed position. 4.The electric toothbrush as defined in claim 1, further comprising atleast a first play button provided on the housing and being directlyconnected to the microprocessor; wherein said microprocessor causes asecond pictorial image to be displayed on the display screen, and saidsecond image is linked to said first play button.
 5. The electrictoothbrush as defined in claim 4, wherein depression of the first playbutton causes the microprocessor to generate a third pictorial image onthe display screen for several seconds.
 6. The electric toothbrush asdefined in claim 5, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to generatean enhanced image if, during the at least twenty four hour period, thefirst play button is depressed at least once and the actual runtime ofthe motor reaches a minimum pre-programmed runtime.
 7. The electrictoothbrush as defined in claim 6, wherein the microprocessor furtherincludes programming that resets the display screen twenty four hoursafter display of the enhanced image by removing the enhanced image anddisplaying the first pictorial image once again.
 8. The electrictoothbrush as defined in claim 6, wherein the microprocessor is furtherprogrammed to include a plurality of games for play, and when saidenhanced image is displayed one of the first play button and anotherplay button activates said game programs.
 9. The electric toothbrush asdefined in claim 2, wherein the microprocessor includes programming togenerate the first image in the form of a smile including a plurality ofteeth.
 10. The electric toothbrush as defined in claim 9, wherein themicroprocessor includes programming to selectively remove one or more ofthe teeth from the first image of the smile when one of a plurality ofthreshold minimum actual run-times and frequencies of brushing are notmet.
 11. The electric toothbrush as defined in claim 4, wherein thesecond pictorial image is one of a manual toothbrush, a floss containerand a bottle of mouthwash.
 12. The electric toothbrush as defined inclaim 11, wherein the microprocessor includes programming to generate atleast a fourth pictorial image and the fourth image is another of themanual toothbrush, the floss container and the bottle of mouthwash andis substantially permanently displayed on said display screen; andwherein the toothbrush further includes a second play button that isdirectly linked to the microprocessor and is associated with the fourthimage, and when said second play button is depressed, saidmicroprocessor causes a fifth image to be displayed on the displayscreen for several seconds.
 13. The electric toothbrush as defined inclaim 12, wherein the microprocessor includes programming to generate atleast a sixth pictorial image and the sixth image is the last of themanual toothbrush, the floss container and the bottle of mouthwash andis displayed on the display screen substantially permanently, andwherein the toothbrush further includes a third play button that isdirectly linked to the microprocessor and is associated with the sixthimage, and when said third play button is depressed, said microprocessorcauses a seventh image to be displayed on the display screen for severalseconds.
 14. The electric toothbrush as defined in claim 13, wherein themicroprocessor includes programming to cause one or more of the third,fifth and seventh images to move back and forth across the displayscreen for several seconds upon depression of the associated one of thefirst, second and third play buttons.
 15. The electric toothbrush asdefined in claim 1, further comprising packaging for retailing thetoothbrush, and wherein one or both of the packaging and the body of thetoothbrush include a visual chart for interpreting the image on thedisplay screen.
 16. A method of encouraging a child to develop good oralcare habits, said method comprising the steps of: providing a poweredtoothbrush having a digital training aid incorporated therein, saidtraining aid being operationally linked to a motor within the toothbrushthat moves a plurality of bristles, and wherein said digital trainingaid further includes a display screen and a microprocessor that isprogrammed to generate a changeable image on the display screen inresponse to operation of the motor; moving a switch on the toothbrushfrom an off position to an on position to activate the motor to move thebristles and to start a timer within the microprocessor; brushing theteeth using the moving bristles; moving the switch from an on positionto an off position to deactivate the motor and stop the movement of thebristles and to stop a timer within the microprocessor, whereby anactual runtime for the motor is computed by the microprocessor and iscompared with a pre-programmed desired run-time; and reviewing thedisplay screen after the actual runtime to determine if the image haschanged.
 17. The method as defined in claim 16, further comprising thestep of; engaging a play button on the toothbrush to select a secondimage generated by the microprocessor and displayed on the displayscreen adjacent the changeable image so as to directly input data intothe microprocessor; and reviewing the display screen to see if themicroprocessor has changed the changeable image to an enhanced image.18. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising the step of:selecting any one of a plurality of games displayed on the displayscreen in response to the appearance of the enhanced image; and playingthe selected game by depressing the play button.
 19. The method asdefined in claim 14, further including the step of: comparing thechangeable image on the display screen with a chart to determine how theactual frequency of brushing and actual runtime relates to the desiredpre-programmed frequency and runtime; and changing the frequency andduration of brushing teeth accordingly.